Villarroel Apartments

The apartment was in really poor shape for what we paid. Bedroom and bathroom doors wouldn't shut, the sinks were mostly blocked, and the shower didn't work properly. We had booked a Deluxe apartment, but the place we were given was much more basic and nothing like the online pictures. When we called about switching, the staff were rude, said everything else was “FULL BOOKED ” and hung up. Getting the €450 deposit back took ages and we had to keep chasing them. There was also €110 in tourist tax for four people over three nights. The check-in office was a 10-minute walk away, which was a pain with luggage. Honestly, one of my most frustrating stays. I wouldn't recommend it.

The apartment itself was modern, comfortable, and in a handy spot near the metro, restaurants, and bars. But the customer service was a complete disgrace. At check-in, they accepted our virtual card for the deposit, then insisted we needed a physical card for the rest of the payment, though nobody had told us that beforehand. The doorman wouldn't release the deposit until we paid the full amount, so we were temporarily charged more than one and a half times what we owed. He wouldn't help sort it out from our point of view, even though blocking or returning the deposit would have avoided the whole mess. There were shopping bags left under the bed from previous guests, and the room clearly hadn't been cleaned well. Booking.com said daily cleaning was included, but no one cleaned our room once during the five days. We were told we'd lose our deposit if we left dishes unwashed or didn't take the rubbish out, yet we got only one bin bag and no dish soap. We also reused the same wet towels for all five days because hanging them outside could cost us the deposit and there was no cleaning service. There were four of us, but only three entry keys. This place has potential if they improve the service or update the facilities and details listed on Booking.com.

The apartment was nice, and the location was the one good thing about the stay. The service, though, was among the worst I've had. We waited over an hour for check-in: instead of getting the keys at 15:00, we got them at 16:23, then had another 10-minute walk to the apartment. We asked to add a night and they agreed. The next day we asked to add one more, but they said they were fully booked, even though Booking showed that night as available. We decided not to extend, and then the receptionist asked us to pay for the extra night we'd already booked. We had paid, but after checking for 10 minutes she apologized and said there'd been a mistake. We went back to the apartment, and just 10 minutes later she knocked, came in with a payment device, and said again that we hadn't paid. We showed proof of payment, and she apologized again because they hadn't seen the charge. I wouldn't recommend this place.

The lift has been out of order for nearly a full day, and my parents, who are in their 60s, have already had to climb 16 flights of stairs twice today. We're staying here now, and this has badly spoiled our family trip to Barcelona. Reception has been rude, hanging up when we called, and now they're not replying to emails. So far this has been a really bad experience. If you're considering booking, think again.